Nightmare Ink by Marcella Burnard‏

Marcella Burnard graduated from Cornish College of the Arts with a degree in acting. She writes science fiction romance for Berkley Sensation.

Her first book, Enemy Within won the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice award for Best Futuristic of 2010. The second book in the series, Enemy Games, released on May 3, 2011.

An erotica novella, Enemy Mine, set in the same world as the novels was released as an e-special edition by Berkley was released in April 2012. Emissary, a sword and sorcery short story released in the two volume Thunder on the Battlefield Anthology in the second half of 2013.

With the needle of a tattoo gun, Isa Romanchzyk has the power to create and destroy. In her shop Nightmare Ink, Isa helps those in need by binding the powers embedded in their Live Ink—the magical tattoos that can enhance the life of the wearer, or end it. But binding tattoos has earned Isa the contempt of her fellow artists—including her former lover Daniel.

When a friend comes to the shop with a tattoo on the verge of killing him, Isa can’t turn him away. For the first time in years, she works Live Ink into someone’s skin—something she swore she’d never do again. But breaking her vow soon becomes the least of her problems.

Isa is horrified to discover her friend’s body in the shop, but the real nightmare begins when she’s abducted and inked against her will. Now, as she seeks retribution from the man who betrayed her, Isa must figure out how to bind her Living Tattoo before it consumes her completely...Q) What inspired you to write this story?

Hackneyed answer: It was a dream. In no way do I recall the details. All I have written down about it was a line “You’re a work of art, don’t make me destroy you.” That line actually made it into Nightmare Ink.

Q) How long did it take you to write?

That depends on whether you count from when I had the dream that got me thinking about the story – or from the day I sat down to actually write the thing. I prefer the latter because the answer is nine months. The former is answered in years…not the most flattering picture of my mental processes.

Q) What is your favorite thing about writing?

Getting into a scene and having a character blurt out something, or do something that completely surprises me. That’s when I know a story is working. It takes on a life of its own.

Q) What is your least favorite thing about writing?

Slogging. The act of forcing myself to put word after word after dreary word. They’re all boring. The story will never work. I suck. My writing sucks. Nothing will ever be any good, ever again. But I signed a contract and someone will hunt me down and kill me if I don’t turn in something. So garbage is better than nothing. Right? (The happy ending is that I really like the editing process. Drafting hurts. Editing is much better. And invariably, no matter how much I hate what I wrote on a bad day, it’s never as soul-destroyingly awful as I first believed.)

Q) If you could be any famous person for one day, who would you be and why?

You know, I’m not sure it would matter who. The whole reason I’d want to BE famous is to have a platform for effecting change in the world. Animal welfare (I do feline rescue – yes, I’m owed by a few - and I support the no-kill movement in the US – 10% of all book proceeds goes into supporting that mission at http://www.bestfriends.org/) I’m really torn about which cause to support next. Environment is near and dear to my heart. I live on a sailboat so I can watch wildlife. But I am also pulled to support the education of girls in countries that do not value them as equal citizens. Wouldn’t it be great to not have to choose? To say, there’s enough for me to pay my rent AND support ALL THE CAUSES! I admire people like Angelina Jolie – using her fame to further the welfare of women and children throughout the world, and Nathan Fillion – promoting his preferred charitable org that builds access to clean drinking water everywhere in the world. They are what I aspire to.

Q) What is the oldest thing in your fridge and how old is it?

I’m afraid to look…Probably a condiment. Oh, yeah. Some of the Thai red curry paste in a jar. Thanks. That’s in the trash now. I don’t think it was supposed to have fuzz. :P I’ll – just get a new one of those. Someday.

Q) What can readers expect from you in the future?

In November, the second book in this UF series will be out. You can always expect more SFR from me, too. That’s what’s simmering in my working file at the moment.